Modi flags ‘weaponisation’ of tech and critical minerals at BRICS summit

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday flagged the “weaponization” of technology and critical minerals as potential barriers to progress, highlighting the need for inclusivity in technology adoption.

The warning comes at a time when technology and critical minerals are increasingly becoming strategic assets, with control over their supply and access carrying implications for economic growth and national security. For developing economies, unequal access could deepen existing technology gaps and make it harder to benefit from advances in areas such as artificial intelligence and clean energy.

Addressing heads of state and other senior leaders on the second and final day of the Brics Leadership Summit in New Delhi, Modi listed steps endorsed by the grouping, including efforts to bolster supply chains, link small businesses to markets, support start-ups and innovators, and strengthen pandemic prevention mechanism, to benefit a wide range of stakeholders across member nations.

Quick answers to key questions

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QUESTIONS

Modi highlighted that the 'weaponization' of technology and critical minerals refers to the strategic control over their supply and access, which could hinder economic growth and deepen existing technology gaps for developing nations.

Inclusivity in technology adoption is crucial for BRICS nations to ensure that all member countries can benefit equally from advancements, particularly in fields like artificial intelligence and clean energy, preventing widening disparities.

The BRICS summit focuses on enhancing supply chain resilience by implementing frameworks for technical exchanges and knowledge-sharing among member nations to better prepare for and withstand disruptions.

BRICS members are advocating for balanced development that incorporates sustainability measures, emphasizing that economic progress should not come at the expense of environmental health.

No, Modi urged an expanded role for BRICS beyond intergovernmental cooperation to directly impact the lives of ordinary citizens and foster broader engagement among stakeholders.

Modi also called for balancing development with environmental protection, in a renewed push for sustainability, citing India’s age-old traditions to assert that the two are not mutually exclusive.

He urged against limiting the 11-member grouping to an intergovernmental platform, and called for an expanded role for it to touch the lives of ordinary people.

Brics' strength lies in its diversity and cooperation, he said. “We may be rooted in different realities but together we rise through cooperation and blossom for humanity,” he said. “May our diversity remain our identity, our cooperation become our inspiration, and our progress serve the cause of all humanity.”

Resilience, cooperation and beyond

Brics' members have agreed on an Integrated Early Warning System for the prevention of infectious diseases and firmed up data-integration guidelines for timely disaster-management warnings, Modi said.

Similarly, the Brics Logistics Supply-Chain Cooperation Framework will make supply chains more reliable and resilient, he said. The framework is a consensus-based mechanism for technical exchanges and knowledge-sharing on cargo and shipping services, localized assembly and manufacturing ecosystems.

Conflicts are rising globally, while climate disasters and supply-chain disruptions have shown that their impact can span sectors and geographies, Modi said, highlighting resilience as one of the key themes of the current summit.

Global supply chains have witnessed frequent and large-scale disruptions in recent years, caused by the pandemic, the Ukraine war and now the West Asia conflict. This has pushed up global commodity prices, particularly energy prices, severely affecting poor and developing nations.

Growing bloc

Brics initially comprised Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. It expanded in 2024 to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, with Indonesia joining in 2025. The 11-member grouping accounts for a half of the world’s population, 40% of its gross domestic product on a purchasing-power-parity basis and close to a quarter of its exports.

Modi said the Brics Incubator Network, a digital interface, will connect national nodal agencies, select incubators and start-ups across member nations. The BRICS Start-up Innovation Fund will encourage stakeholders to develop scalable solutions to global problems. India alone has more than 2,00,000 registered start-ups, including 120 unicorns, each typically valued at more than $1 billion, Modi had said on Friday.

Through Brics CONNECT, the grouping has promoted skills, employability, women’s participation in the workforce, social security and capacity building, he said.

The Brics Digital Centre of Excellence will promote smart grids and energy storage, helping make clean-energy systems more reliable and accessible.

Referring to the latest summit’s theme—“Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability”—Modi said: “We believe that the benefits of solutions developed within Brics should not remain confined to BRICS alone. They should be made adaptable and accessible to meet the needs of the Global South.”

In his closing remarks, Prime Minister Modi said the Delhi Declaration should give clear direction to Brics’ future cooperation, with its recommendations tied to timelines and measurable outcomes. “We will work jointly to ensure our frameworks are not confined to file notings,” he said.

The Delhi Declaration, seen as a diplomatic win for India, called for de-escalation in West Asia, condemned the 2025 Pahalgam terrorist attacks, raised concerns over unilateral tariffs and backed reforms to global institutions. It also endorsed expanding the New Development Bank’s membership and creating new infrastructure-financing tools for the Global South.

About the Author

Harsh Kumar is a policy reporter at Mint (HT Media Group), where he covers the Ministry of Commerce and Industry along with key departments of the Ministry of Finance, including the Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) and the Department of Financial Services (DFS). With over five years of experience in business and economic journalism, he has developed strong expertise in tracking policy developments and their wider economic impact.<br><br>He has previously worked with Business Standard, Moneycontrol, and Outlook Money, where he reported extensively on banking, financial services, and the broader economy. Over the years, he has built a reputation for delivering accurate, insightful, and impactful stories, supported by a keen eye for detail and a consistent track record of breaking exclusive news.<br><br>An alumnus of Jamia Millia Islamia, Harsh closely follows regulatory changes and key economic trends shaping India’s financial and industrial landscape. His reporting aims to simplify complex policy issues for a wider audience while maintaining depth and credibility.<br><br>Outside of work, he enjoys tracking policy developments, finding scoops, and travelling, reflecting his curiosity about how economic decisions shape everyday life.

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